Dalit Agricultural Labourers Lay Siege To The House Of Punjab Chief Minister

farmers protest 1

Under the invitation of the joint front of the rural and farm labour organizations, Ten thousand dalit agricultural labour gheraoed the house of Captain Amrinder Singh at Moti Mahal in Patiala. He was forced to issue a written letter to scrap metres on electricity bills and pay occupation of labourers cut plots in a month, allot residential plots and scrap dummy bids of panchayat lands to solve disputes. It resulted in the labour organizations postponing the program of surrounding the Electricity Board office. In addition to this, the rest of the demands of the labourers are cooperative, government and non-government loan waiver, permitting membership  unconditionally of  labourers in cooperatives, restoring blue cards and making cards for  needy families and strengthening public distribution system, in the amount of old age pension Chief Minister’s Political Advisor and Mandikaran Board Chairman Lal Singh, Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary on September 23 to deal with age limit on increase, elimination of social force, making action filed under SC Act etc. The letter was also handed over to the labour leaders about the meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh with MP Singh and higher officials of various departments. On this occasion, the labour leaders declared it a partial win and declared the struggle to continue until the demands are fulfilled. Letters were issued to give immediately connect meters and grant possession of panchayat land to agricultural labourers. A Meeting with the Chief Minister will be held again at Chandigarh residence on September 23.I was very pleased to hera from Punjab Khet mazdoor Union secretary ,Lacchman Singh Sewewala ,that demands on electricity meter connections  were won.

The intensity of the agitators continued where they left lat month in the same place on August 10th. The langar laid by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) volunteers and moral support had significance in terms of integration of landed peasantry with agricultural labour. Also worth mentioning was the support of the contingent of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha in Patiala, which integrated the youth. Every democrat must salute this gathering, which symbolized the wrath of agricultural labour community against the shackles of semi-feudal slavery. It is my sincere wish that everyone sees the recordings on youtube.In terms of numbers it ranks amongst the largest every protests of the agricultural labour community in Punjab, doubling the average total.

Important preparatory meetings were undertaken in villages of Jhanduka Himmatpura,Jasmeli,Nangal,Dala Singh Wala in Faridkot,Singhewala,Khivali in Lambi,Sandoke and Bhagu in Moga ,Chandevi in Muktsar and Ahaora and Bhamal in Patiala The painstaking preparations  enabled the final protest to have its cutting edge.

REPORT OF GHERAO AT MOTI MAHAL

Labour leaders Laxman Singh Sevewala, Kashmir Singh Ghugshore and Baldev Singh Noorpuri informed the press that the above decisions were announced by Patiala Tehsildar and SP Kesar Singh in a gathering of laborers and letters were handed over. He was told that from this morning, apart from DIG Shri Gurpreet Singh Toor, Deputy Commissioner and SSP Patiala had many rounds of talks with labour leaders. They said that from this morning, labourers men and women have been relentlessly sitting on the road in front of the head office of the Electricity Board with an aim to surround the Chief Minister’s Moti Mahal. The rally was addressed by the President of Labour Mukti Morcha Punjab Bhagwant Singh Samo, General Secretary of Punjab Khet Mukdoor Sabha Devi Kumari, President of Rural Labour Sabha Darshan Nahar, President of Punjab Khet Labour Union Zora Singh Nasrali, President of Pedu Labour Union Punjab Tarsem Peter, Provincial Leader of Revolutionary Rural Labour Union Lakhvir Singh Longowal, President of Revolutionary Village Labour Union Punjab Sanjeev Mintu etc. addressed. Spokespersons alleged that the Captain government has betrayed election promises made to labourers and implementing decisions made by Cabinet Minister Brahm Mahindra and higher officials of various departments on August 25 Apart from others, labour leaders Harmesh Maldi, Avtar Singh Rasulpur, Makhan Singh Ramgarh, Balwinder Singh Jaloor, Pragat Singh Kalajhar, Chaman Darajke, Gulzar Gauriya also addressed.

PREPARATORY MEETINGS

Earlier an important meeting of Punjab Khet Labour Union was held at Sadhu Singh Memorial Place Takhtupura under the chairmanship of State Committee Member Major Singh Kaleke.. Darshan Singh Himmatpura released the proceedings of the meeting to the press said that on August 25, Cabinet Minister Brahm Mahindra had a meeting with a joint front of seven villagers and farm labour organizations of Punjab in which all departments were present. In this meeting, to waive the dalit’s electricity bills, to reconnect the connection cut due to high bills, to make new ration cards, to start the scheme this week, to register new members in the cards, to give possession of cut plants, Old age widow pension Rs 5 thousand, Magnrega’s daily Rs 600, Dalits had accepted demands like government and non-government loans waived. But till date none of the demands have been acceeded. Electricity meter connections are not even added. Leaders said that the Joint Labour Morcha will conduct a one-day surrounding of Captain Amarinder Singh’s residence Moti Mahal Patiala on September 13 to implement the obey demands. Invited the labourers to reach Patiala as much as possible to make that one-day surrounding a success. Leaders of Singara Singh, Binder Singh Saidoke, Jagsir Singh, Satpal Singh and Siran Kaur Himmatpura, Gurmel Singh Bhagike, Jaswant Singh Malleana, Jagtar Singh Madheke, Charanjit Kaur Takhtupura, Jagraj Singh and Jodha Singh Kusa etc were present in this meeting.

UNITY AND SOIDARITY OF LANDED PEASANTRY

Another very significant preceding event was the effort of the BKU(Ugrahan) to give solidarity and forge unity with the dalit agricultural labourers.Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugraha to increase unity with the agricultural labourers on the struggle, demanded rural and farm labour organizations to waive off loans and electricity bills, compensation and employment to suicide victims, employment guarantee and public distribution system Village-village farm labourers have been dismissed to make the Chief Minister’s invitation to surround the Moti Mahal on September 13 on the demands of implementation and to stop force on Dalits.

Giving information to the press about this, District President Shingara Singh Mann and State Leader of the Women Farmer Organization Harinder Bindu said that half a dozen farmer leaders including women farmer leaders Paramjit Kaur Pitho and Harpreet Kaur Jethuke in  village Ballo, Badiala, Pitho, Chauke of Bathinda ,organised district Meetings and rallies of farm labourers, men and women were held in about two dozen villages including Jaid, Jind, Jhanduka, Gill Gosal, Chak Bakhtu, Mysarkhana and Ghuda.

She said the farm labourers are getting strong response to the farmer s’ cooperative campaign on their issues and there is a huge protest against the Captain’s government’s promise. He said farmer leaders are also helping them arrange funds for labourers involved in the Moti Mahal surrounding.

Addressing the labourer men and women connected on this occasion, Paramjit Kaur Pitho, Harpreet Kaur Jethuke, Kulwant Rai Sharma, Darshan Singh Mysarkhana, Amrik Singh Sivian, Jagdev Singh Jogewala and Jaspal Singh Kothaguru said that Captain government is also of labourers and other positions like Modi government Refusing to accept demands and running away from fulfilling promises made at election time. They  said that the government’s anti-farmer policies have smashed  the backbone of employment of farm labourers, under the so-called reforms.The farm labourers and farmers are being forced to commit suicide due to the increasing inflation on labourers welfare schemes but the government is forcing them to commit suicide.. The new agricultural laws and labour laws are a means to further degrade labourers employment, destroy public distribution system and install corporate households for food items to starve workers.. The farmer s’ organization will stand with the labourers. The unity and struggle of farmers, labourers, women and all workers who are suffering from government policies can be turned away from labour farmers, employee and anti-people policies and governments can be forced to obey demands. They said that in the protest against the agriculture laws, all sections including the farm labourers are being supported strongly and now it is the duty of the farmers to contribute in the support of the labourer struggle.

Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist.Toured India,particularly Punjab .Written on Mass movements ,,Massline,Maoism on blogs like Democracy and Class Struggle and frontierweekly .An avid cricket lover too who has posted writings on blogs like Pakpassion Indian Cricket Fans and Sulekha.com [email protected]

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